Movies Like Swirl

If you liked Swirl (2014), a movie directed by Tabari Sturdivant, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Something New (2006)
★ 6.4/10
Kenya McQueen thought she had it all: a successful career, good friends and family. There was just one thing she didn't have under control: her love life. All that changes when she meets sexy, free-spirited Brian…
2
Guess Who (2005)
★ 6.1/10
When a young African-American woman brings her fiancé home to meet her parents, she's neglected to mention one tiny detail – he's white.
3
Marshall (2017)
★ 7.3/10
Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
4
Shortcomings (2023)
★ 6.1/10
When his girlfriend leaves for New York City on a 3-month-long internship, a strongly opinionated Berkeley arthouse movie theater manager begins exploring life as a bachelor.
5
This Means War (2012)
★ 6.2/10
Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.
6
The Big Sick (2017)
★ 7.3/10
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty…
7
Little Manhattan (2005)
★ 7.2/10
Ten-year-old Gabe Burton is just an average kid growing up in Manhattan until Rosemary Telesco walks into his karate class. But before Gabe can tell Rosemary how he feels, she reveals that she won't be going to public…
8
Jungle Fever (1991)
★ 6.4/10
A successful and married black man contemplates having an affair with a white girl from work. He's quite rightly worried that the racial difference would make an already taboo relationship even worse.
9
Hairspray (1988)
★ 6.8/10
'Pleasantly plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all…
10
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
★ 7/10
When Ashtray moves to South Central L.A. to live with his father (who appears to be the same age he is) and grandmother (who likes to talk tough and smoke reefer), he falls in with his gang-banging cousin Loc Dog, who…
11
In the Heights (2021)
★ 7.1/10
The story of Usnavi, a bodega owner who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic or staying in Washington Heights.
12
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
★ 6.9/10
It's the battle of wills, as Andie needs to prove she can dump a guy in 10 days, whereas Ben needs to prove he can win a girl in 10 days. Now, the clock is ticking—and the wildly entertaining comedy smash is off and…
13
The Sun Is Also a Star (2019)
★ 6.9/10
Two young New Yorkers begin to fall in love over the course of a single day, as a series of potentially life-altering meetings loom over their heads - hers concerning her family’s deportation to Jamaica, and his…
14
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
★ 6.3/10
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who…
15
Swiped (2025)
★ 6.6/10
Whitney Wolfe uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry.
16
West Side Story (2021)
★ 6.9/10
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
17
Manhattan (1979)
★ 7.7/10
Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
18
Prime (2005)
★ 6/10
A career driven professional from Manhattan is wooed by a young painter, who also happens to be the son of her psychoanalyst.
19
I Love You Phillip Morris (2010)
★ 6.4/10
Steven Russell leads a seemingly average life – an organ player in the local church, happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force. That is until he has a severe car accident that leads him to the…
20
Passing (2021)
★ 6.3/10
In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.